X-Strikers: The Next Generation
by KakarotSSj3
Summary: It has been 15 years since the X-Men officially disbanded. Becoming aware of a new threat posed to rise, Cyclops and his fellow X-Men hope to find and teach a new generation of mutants, needing to teach them how to survive in one cruel world that despises and want their kind DEAD before whoever is killing both mutants and humans can reveal itself. OC Submission on Chapter One!
1. OC Submission Form

**Hello, fellow X-Men lovers as well as anyone else just passing by to take a look. I've tried to do this story a while back as in 2013 and it sorta got abandoned so let me give it another chance. I promise that I won't abandon this story in like the first couple chapters like last time so that's a plus... right? Anywho, although I already have some OCs in my mind already, I would love the help of all of you. This story is going to be mostly based on a number of OCs, both mines and of anyone's who is generous enough to send in their OCs to me. If you're up for the idea, leave your ideas and characters in the review section... or you can PM me if that'll work better. Remember, this story first takes a place in the summer of 2015 so take that into account while choosing their age and date of birth. I would prefer if a majority of the characters were between the age of 10-19ish but age does not really matter. Also, you can submit as many as your heart desires you to... the more, the better. Below is the OC Submission Form... I'd love to see what you can come up with guys! It may seem like a lot but I want to have a clear understanding on these characters and write and use them effectively. Most, but not all, OCs will be accepted and used at some point in the story! Please try not to make Gary Stu and Mary-Sue characters. Unaccepted characters might have some small, recurring roles from time to time.**

 **OC Submission Form:**

Full Name:

Nicknames:

Codename:

Date of Birth (Age):

Birthplace:

Powers:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Good/ Bad:

Hairstyle/ Hair Length/ Hair Color:

Eyes:

Height:

Weight:

Can they control their power? Do they like their power?:

Piercings/ Tattoos/ Birthmarks/ Scars:

Accessories (Glasses/ Hearing Aid/ Braces/ etc.):

Everyday Clothing:

Spring Wear:

Summer Wear:

Fall Wear:

Winter Wear:

Costume:

Sleep Wear:

Swim Wear:

Formal Wear (Like a wedding):

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Hobbies:

Favorite Foods:

Reaction to Betrayal:

Reaction to Heartbreak:

Reaction to a friend or family's death/ serious injury:

People They Tend Not to be around (Ex: Obnoxious people, etc):

Allies Close To (Fellow X-Strikers, X-Men, or whoever):

Allies Rather Not be close to or work with:

History:

Close Description of when Powers first manifested:

Nationality:

Family (Small description and age):

Home Life:

School Tendencies and Grades:

Romances?

Would you join the X-Strikers?

Would you join Magneto?

Would you join the Brotherhood?

Appearance of Bedroom:

Could you be a leader?

Big secret:

Other Info:

Creator (Your Name):


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _ **Author's Note: Well, here is a Prologue that I just came up with. It might seem a bit rushed and hurried but here it is! The first official chapter is to come up pretty soon... and as for the beginning X-Strikers, I'm thinking five or six mutants to begin with and then more will be added.**_

* * *

A decade and five years, approximately fifteen and a third years to be more accurate, happened to come by and away in what seemed to be the blink of an eye to most individuals that inhabited Planet Earth. But still… a whole lot had changed for _every_ single person on the face of the planet, some thought that this change was for the better. Others –mostly mutants if I should say –knew for a fact that this change was an insult to their kind… an opportunity for the worse to be done to all of mutantkind.

Now, back to where this all started… fifteen years ago, Earth was on the radar of the hungry, extremely powerful cosmic god that was Galactus, doomed to be entirely consumed by the men. With no hope at all for survival, the people of Earth called upon the two mightiest forces that they could, the X-Men and the Avengers to deal with the god. Multiples members of each crime-fighting team wound up being killed in the battle to decide the fate of Earth, at least 60-75% of the total combatants to say the least. Just as all faith seemed to be lost for Earth, the power of the Phoenix Force manifested deep within the X-Man, Jean Grey, revealed itself, giving the telepath more than enough power needed to face off against Galactus on her own. While the battle did indeed take an immediate U-Turn with the help of Phoenix, everyone… even Jean herself, knew that this was just a losing battle as long as the Phoenix Force was unleashed. Knowing that the world would be a much better place than it would with both the Phoenix Force and Galactus dwelling in it, Jean Grey boldly sacrificed herself to put an end to the god once and for all, to the dismay of her lover, Scott Summers. Taking her own life, Jean knew that Galactus would no longer be a threat to Earth… but she was wrong. Galactus, albeit hungry, weakened, and nearly defeated, still lived, fleeing from Earth and going into a nearly-permanent rest for the time being.

In the following two years following that devastating clash of titans, the remaining X-Men that had not been slaughtered in the battle against Galactus finally decided to hang up their capes and masks for the time being, calling their career as crime-fighting superheroes to a quit. After all… they had already lost far too many members over their entire careers and they had even witnessed their mentor, Professor Charles Xavier growing incredibly ill and sick, claiming that his life would soon be over. Each and every one of them considered this to be a new step in their lives… so that they could go on their own adventures or even start a family without fear. But not even two years after the disbandment of the X-Men, a newfound, potentially dangerous threat began to rise in Bayville, before it found itself spreading rapidly across the face of the entire planet.

This threat revealed itself in the form of Sergeant Stryker and Larry Trask, son of Bolivar Trask, taking advantage of the sudden disbandment of the X-Men. The two mutant haters teamed up, both sharing the common goal of wanting to rid the streets of any and all mutants. An army of dozens of Sentinels and even more Purifiers spread across the entire Earth, the only goal on their mind to find all the mutants that they possibly could. Their assignments were to locate and capture all mutants, placing them under arrest in a hidden underground bunker of some sort, unless of course, they were labeled and branded an "Alpha Plus-level Mutant" or higher, whom the mutant haters were assigned to exterminate on sight. The first one to be killed by these tyrants was none other than Professor X himself, whose students were forced to watch being tortured and killed virally. After a hard fought battle that registered a whole lot of blood and deaths over the course of a bit under four years, both of the anti-mutant threats were defeated by the X-Men Resurrected, a temporarily formed group of former X-Men.

Nowadays, the small amount of the mutant population that are still living and not locked up for the rest of their lives (approximately three-eighths of the original amount of mutants that dwelled before the Galactus conflict) barely use their powers, even to this day. They all live in fear that if they do so much as to even think of doing so, a new and more dangerous generation of Purifiers would somehow introduce themselves to the world. On the other hand, a handful of mutants still use their powers to stop petty crimes and protect civilians under new Codenames… not wanting their culture to be devoured by mankind. While many are either buried six feet underground or trapped to rot in military prisons, each day more and more mutants are beginning to stand up, saying that they do not want their children to live in a world where their special gifts are looked down upon –a world where they have to hide their powers and live in fear each day. Of these mutants, one of them is determined to shift things back to the way they used to be… that mutant's name is none other than Scott Summers, better known to the mutant world as Cyclops.

* * *

The smell of burning rubber flooded the air as a motorcycle, a 1963 Harley Davidson Duo Glide FLH to be more precise, skidded to an immediate stop in front of a seemingly old, rusted, and somewhat curled gate. Taking off the red helmet that he wore, the man stepped off of his bike, wearily scanning his surroundings. Standing about five feet, three inches, the man more than made up for his small height with the muscular, bulky body that he possessed. Putting on the brown, leather cowboy hat that he had with him, the man's face came to view as he advanced towards the rusted gate, his cold, brown eyes continuing to glance around the environment of the place that he once called home. The spiked, black hair that he also happened to possess was nearly completely hidden by the hat that he managed to pull off, a few gray strands featured in the hairstyle.

Only a single vehicle had already arrived before the man could pull his own motorcycle up, having been parked in random spot a couple of feet from his own ride. Stepping up to the rusted gate, the man stopped a couple of feet in front of the large, tattered mansion ahead, looking up to glance at what remained of the building that towered over him. To be one hundred percent honest, the structure was an absolute mess –as if it hadn't once been the main center of operations for the world-famous group of superheroes, the X-Men. Entire chucks of the roof were gone, having either been blown away or completely removed some other way, and all of the windows were busted, wooden planks boarded up in place of glass. Wooden and metal doors were either blown away by wind or barely stood, hanging loosely off of their hinges while the air reeked of moss and grime, both of were managed to cover the entire mansion. Approaching the mansion, the muscular X-Man had not even at the door when another man, this one nearly an entire foot taller and much slimmer than the first, walked up beside him.

"Logan," The newcomer greeted, a smirk planted upon his face as he shook the first man's hand.

"Summers," Logan grunted under his breath, tipping his hat up to stare at the very man before him. Standing at about 6'1'', Scott Summers absolutely towered over the 5'3'' James " _Logan"_ Howlett. Tall and lean, Scott was of Caucasian descent, wearing a pair of perfectly fitting khaki pants and a navy blue collared dress shirt. While the specially designed, ruby quartz sunglasses that he wore upon his catastrophic, hazel colored eyes did not match his outfit in any way possible, anyone who knew Scott was fully aware that they were the only thing keeping Scott's optic blasts from going array.

The two men stayed completely quiet, not speaking a single word as both of their eyes stay focused on the crumbling building that had once been their home, the very building that nobody had stepped foot in for more than a decade after its owner's sudden death by execution.

Logan looked up at Scott, his emotionless face looking up at the former leader of the X-Men. There had once been a time where the two of them were the fiercest of rivals… a long time ago before everything had unfolded –the reawakening of the Phoenix Force within Jean, the battle against Galactus, everything. But now, although he would never plain-out admit it, he had actually grown to deeply respect the man, watching as he grew from inexperienced mutant to a great leader for their fellow X-Men. Actually, he kinda thought of Summers as one of his closest allies… a sort of a _best friend_ one would say.

"Thirteen years," The battle-hardened mutant exclaimed, his eyes turning to face the moss-engulfed mansion before him. A slight, deepened chuckle managed to escape his mouth as he shook his head in disbelief. "Can't even believe it's actually been that long since anyone of us done took a step in 'er."

"Yeah," Another voice added, joining in on the conversation as he stood with the two men. Logan's nose instantly began twitching as he picked up the scent of the newly-arrived man –the smell of brimstone. Turning around, both of the older men came face to face with the very person they had been expecting, their longtime ally and friend, Kurt Wagner. "Seems like just yesterday the all of us were just relaxing, resting from an arse-kicking from the Danger Room. Us, Evan, Kitty, Jean–" The mutant began, before being stopped midsentence by the nudge of Logan's stiff shoulder at the mention of Jean, Scott's long-lost lover. Not even bothering to accept the guilt of looking up at his former leader, Kurt swallowed a lump in his throat and he began to apologetically ask for forgiveness, saying "Sorry vout that Scott… didn't mean to bring up Jean."

Scott, having begun to frustratingly tense up at the mention of his deceased lover, turned to his two teammates, swallowing a lump that had built up within his throat. While it was true that he had loved Jean with all of his heart and was the absolute most devastated by her sudden sacrifice against Galactus, he knew that he had to learn to forget the past and embrace the future. There might have been times when he thought that he was _actually_ losing it, going insane because of the incident… times when he drowned his miseries with a bottle of alcohol but still, Jean was _his_ woman –his one and only. He hadn't even bothered to take up dating either, because there not a single woman in the world that was the woman that Jean was in his own opinion. "I-It's alright Kurt, it's been fifteen years since Jean's death. I'm pretty sure I can handle saying Jean's name without breaking down." Scott hesitantly let out, letting out an obviously faked chuckle as he uncomfortably scratched his head.

"Scott… we all miss her," The voice of Kitty Pryde, the X-Man better known as Shadowcat, let out, revealing herself to the group as well. While her age had risen and her body becoming more magnificently curved, the young mutant's physical appearance had not really changed much besides from that. The slender woman still happened to keep her brown hair tied back in her signature ponytail, wearing a pink sweater and a pair of denim skinny jeans. Although all three masculine heroes knew for a fact that 33 years old, Kitty herself did not look a single day over 27. "And the Professor too," Kitty finished, bringing all three of her former crime fighting comrades into a large hug, her feet leaving the ground as she leapt up to embrace the height of Scott as well.

Within the next couple of minutes, a couple more of the former X-Men arrived to the broken down X-Mansion, Anna Marie –known to all of her mutant accomplices as solely Rogue –along with Dr. Hank McCoy, Remy Lebeau, Ororo Munroe, and a few other of the semi-retired X-Men –came to the occasion, showing up to the X-Mansion on the behalf of the mutant known as Beast and Emma Frost.

"Never would've thought that Remy would see himself back 'ere," The shaggy-haired, red-on-black eyed mutant that was Remy Lebeau, the notorious Gambit, quietly smirked, catching a glimpse of the very mansion that he had not stepped a single foot in for at least a single decade or so. Being the last person to arrive, Remy approached the group of mutants slowly, his feminine companion clinging closely to him. "Ain't that right chéri?" The man snickered, embracing his auburn-haired, white bang possessing companion in his arms as he used his other hand to flick a strand of her from his own eyes.

"Yep," The woman quietly said in a western accent, the two of them coming to a stop in front of the other, awaiting X-Men.

"I'd take it that the last of us coming," Scott presumed, arising from the wall that he was leaning on as he awaited the arrival of more of his comrades. Turning towards the demolished mansion that was once their secured headquarters, Scott did not even have to say much for his fellow mutants to be alerted to follow him, the only words coming from his mouth being, "To me, my X-Men."

The medium-sized group of former X-Men followed quietly after Scott into the utterly-destroyed mansion, taking a peek at what had become of their home as teenagers. Entire walls had been either coated in moss or broken down and doors were smashed off of their hinges, lying hopelessly on the dirtied floors of the X-Mansion. However, one room happened to remain completely undestroyed and cleaned –the very room where Cerebro had been stored all those years back. As Scott led his teammates towards the room, the door slowly crept open, revealing the blonde that was Emma Frost to the X-Men. Clad in a purely white pantsuit that complimented her long, sleek blonde hair and icy blue colored eyes, the White Queen greeted all of her fellow mutants with a friendly nod.

"X-Men," The blonde greeted, stepping over to Scott to embrace the man in a hug. "Good to see you all. I trust that you managed to arrive without much trouble at all?" The telepath questioned her friends, her voice steadily remaining delicate and calming.

"Good to see you as well Emma," Scott welcomed the blonde mutant, releasing himself from the hug as he immediately went back to business.

"X-Men… I know you all are wondering why exactly why you have all been gathered here–" Hank McCoy began, turning back to face the bewildered X-Men before him. However, before he could carry on his conversation, he was certainly interrupted by Kitty Pryde, who as always, was still quite the talker of the X-Men.

"Yeah," Kitty agreed, shrugging her shoulders as she phased through everyone in her path until he stood a few feet away from Scott himself. Scratching through her mane of hair, the feminine fighter said, "I mean, it's not that I'm not thrilled to meet back up with you all and such, but I need to know what all the hype is for. Why did you _need_ to have us meet up here today?"

"Kitty," Rogue began, answering the mutant's question as she remained in Gambit's arms. "Ain't it obvious sugah? They wanna get the buncha us back together as the X-Men." She finished, astonishing Kitty.

"Vhat?" Kurt, completely astonished by the sudden answer, exclaimed, teleporting up to Remy and Rogue's side. "You mean all of us? I-I don't think we're up for that anymore!"

"Not exactly," Dr. McCoy responded, taking a step forward to look all of his comrades in the eye. "We do not intend on forcing this upon you all. If you are willing, which I _hope_ the _all_ of you are, we'd gladly accept you all back. Just let me–" The scientist began until another interruption ruined his statement.

"No, I can't," A German voice let out, causing every single one of the mutants turn their head to face the least likely person they had expected to speak the words, their enthusiastic comrade, Kurt Wagner.

"Wait… did you just decline an offer to rejoin the X-Men, Kurt?" Kitty questioned Kurt, stepping towards her longtime friend. "W-Why?"

"I'm standing by my word… sorry," Kurt sighed, swallowing a lump as he looked down at the ground, not wanting to have eyesight with any of the X-Men at the moment. "I-I have a family and all, a loving wife in Amanda –and I'm enjoying it. I don't want my actions to catch up to any of them… no Magneto, no M-Mystique, no Purifiers, no nothing! I do not want to drag Amanda or Koby into any of this, even if he does wound up having powers later in life." The two-toed mutant let out, his fists clenched together as he balled them up in fury.

"I may have worded that wrong," Hank continued, shifting all of the attention back to him in a matter of seconds. Wiping the bit of sweat that had happened to form from his forehead, the beastly humanoid continued his explanation, saying, "We do no actually want the lot of you back as the X-Men." He added, beginning to stumble and hesitate as he thought over his words carefully. "We actually um… the fact is that we need the help of each of you… to assist in… um." Beast struggled to let out, clearing his throat with each word.

"Long story short, we need all of your help in training a new generation of X-Men… X-Strikers you might say," Emma said, finishing Hank's statement.

The whole room immediately grew quiet, trying to process the information that they had just been given. A couple of whispers could be heard as Hank hopefully awaited the answer of all of his comrades until Logan for one spoke up.

"Why'd you wait till now bubs?" The clawed mutant emotionlessly grunted, speaking up as he leaned on the wall opposite of Hank and Emma. "Till now to come up with this idea of yours? There's a reason behind all of this isn't their Hank?"

"Emma," Hank questioned, turning his head to the blonde standing directly behind him. "Show them."

Emma suddenly nodded, taking a sit next to the desk where Cerebro awaited. Placing the device's helmet upon their head, the telepath closed her eyes, powering up the device. As the room lit up, a bright screen beginning to shuffle past millions of people, until it slowly came to a stop on a two different individuals, both lined up next to one another.

"The first is Benjamin Jackson," The heroine explained, pointing towards the very first individual displayed upon the screen.

"The Benjamin Jackson? CEO of Hourglass Industries?" Remy confusingly questioned Emma, a tad bit tangled by what Emma meant by the words. "What does he have ta' do with anything?"

"There is more of him than what meets the eyes," Emma alerted the mutants, using his slight telepathic abilities to zoom in on the first individual. "He likes to make people think that he's only in his mid-fifties, but truth be told he is actually over 300 years old, his date of birth being May 13, 1714. He does not let the public know of this but he is actually a mutant, and a mighty powerful one at that. Not only is he extremely intelligent but his powers are that he uses skin contact with his palms to absorb the life energy out of anyone that he possibly can, restoring his own youth and strength. Along with this, he is trained in a number of forms of martial arts and has displayed signs of enhanced strength. Rumors have it that he has begun working with Magneto among all people and may be in own his plans. Hates humankind and all those who are appreciative of mankind even more than Magneto for all of the punishment and inequality he has been put through because of his mutation." Emma explained.

"What's the matter with him then?" Scott asked. "He hasn't been bothering people if I haven't heard about it."

"I take it you have all seen the news in the past few days," Emma added, nodding at Hank, signaling the beast-like mutant to hand out a piece of paper showing a face all too familiar to each of them, a former X-Men that they had worked with, Warren Worthington III, better known as one of their very first teammates, Angel. "Angel was found killed a bit over a week ago, sources have yet to find the killer but we think that it has something to do with Mr. Benjamin here, mainly because of the marks left at the scene of the crime… hourglass shapes as well as those that seem familiar to –Apocalypse."

"A-Angel… they _killed_ him? Why can't we just find these guys and put an end to them right now, before anyone else manages to be killed?" Scott growled, angered by the fact that one of very first teammates, closest friends, Warren, had been killed and he hadn't known till just now.

"I'm afraid that is near impossible," Emma sighed, her eyes remaining closed shut. "Due to his powers, Mr. Jackson is nearly invincible and immortal… and even if we do manage to lock him up or put an end to him, he has followers all around the globe, and he has connections with this second individual –a Reginald Trask."

"Trask?" Logan growled, a bit sensitive over the name. "As in, Bolivar Trask you mean? Creator of the Sentinels?"

"His grandson to be more exact, the son of Larry Trask," Emma replied, zooming in on the second individual. "Aged 24 years old. Anti-mutant, millionaire, and pure genius. He is allied with Benjamin Jackson and has bought ownership of the Purifier project… taking over leadership after climbing in the ranks after Stryker's death. We do have not enough enough just yet but we feel that it is just a matter of time before Trask enforces another league of Purifiers and try to massacre the mutant race. Despises his father for being a mutant and watched his own grandfather killed by us years ago. While his father and grandfather reformed before their deaths, I think it's safe to say that he won't be the same."

"So… Anti-Mutant, Purifier, and Genius, how do we know if he's out to destroy mutantkind?" Scott pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.

"This," Emma continued, tossing a blueprint into the hands of Scott. "Is Project Revelation. I've managed to get my hands on an extra copy of it while Trask was visiting Downtown Bayville earlier in the year. The new and improved Sentinels, mutant killers. Think Master Mold... only much bigger, badder, and bloodthirstier." Emma explained as she saw a frown slip across the experienced mutant's face in disappointment as he unrolled the blueprint, knowing that the details on the blueprint were not what one would want to bargain on.

"We need the help of each of you with this," Hank pleaded the former X-Men, looking at each of his teammates in hope… that all of them would somehow agree to his standards. "We all have potential to train the next generation. So that they do not have to live in a world where their abilities are frowned upon… where our children will one day have to hide in fear of another generation of Purifiers and Sentinels telling them what they have to do and ruining their lives. This young ones can one day change the world, return to the roots of their kind and become even better than we were. Whatever is killing these mutants and humans will one day come after each of them and we have to make sure they're ready to protect themselves and others."

The room was completely quiet after hearing these words for a couple of seconds before Remy suddenly stepped up, putting his arm around Rogue, a sly grin smirked across his face. "Fine, we're in,"

Nightcrawler immediately vanished from view, reappearing another second later on Beast's side. "I guess that means I'm in too," The demonic creature smiled, giving in to Beast's agreements.

"You know the rest of us are in Hank," Storm said, with the rest of the mutants except for Scott to stepping forward, leaving everyone staring at the shaded individual in anticipation.

"Summers, you and I know for a fact that both Red and the professor would have _wanted_ this to happen. Just agree before I'm forced to kick your ass." Logan snickered, threateningly walking up to Scott in a bit of an impatient tone, retracting his Adamantium claws just inches in front of the shades of the mutant, who did nothing more than unleash a smirk upon his face.

Looking at all of his former teammates, Scott finally gave in, taking a single step forward once Logan had backed away. Clearing his throat, the previous leader of the X-Men said nothing more than, "Fine, now… how are we going to find these mutants and how are we going to start rebuilding the mansion?"


	3. Part I: Genesis (Part 1)

**Chapter I: Genesis (Part 1)**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the extended wait for this chapter, I know that a whole lot of people have wanted me to post this since the day after the Prologue got up! Basically, I've began basketball practice and have been dealing with a number of real world situations, (both good and bad), so I never had the chance to update any of my stories. I know now not to promise an upload unless I know for sure it's going up so I'll try to remember it. As for the original X-Strikers, I've come up with the answer that there is going to be SEVEN** **original** **X-Strikers, and I have chosen them all based on their personalities and powers, and how they'll fit in as a group to begin with. Others will soon join the group but not right away, and a question for you all! Do you prefer if I keep the story in third person or should I do it in first person point of view and switch from character to character and occasionally do 3** **rd** **person? I could do either or so let me know what you guys think. Before the story begins however, some people have PM'd me what are the couples for the original X-Men and they are as follows: Cyclops and Jean Grey (she's dead but I wanted to put this in), Shadowcat and Spider-Man (I liked this couple in the Ultimate Spiderman comics and Colossus died in the battle against Galactus), Nightcrawler and Amanda, Magma and Cannonball (they'll make cameos and may become supporting characters), Rogue and Gambit, and Wolverine and Storm (they won't be married but it'll be easy to tell they have feelings for one another at times, they'll have their moments). Now… on to the story!**

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _I will prepare and someday my chance will come."_** **-Abraham Lincoln**

 **Richard Rodgers**

All that I hear is the sound of rustling winds and fluttering wings searing through my ears as I continue on my way home, soaring through the moderately temperatured skies of my hometown –the ever so beautiful city of Boston, the capital of the small, but still great, state of Massachusetts. Why wouldn't I call this city _ever so beautiful_ …? I mean, I have lived him for the majority of my life –take that back, _ALL_ of my life to be more precise for you all, unless of course you count the weekend I spent in Manhattan on that field trip all the way back in the eighth grade I think it was. This was the very place that I had spoken my first words, walked my very first steps…received these _gifts_ of mines.

Yeah, you guys out there heard me right… I'm a mutant, but I'm not just any mutant you know! My real name is Richard Rodgers, but I suggest that you call me Ricky or Rick… anything along that lines. For the majority of my life I was _just_ Ricky, _just_ Richard, but that was before everything had gone down… I think about two years ago –give or take some months. The very day I had lost my father from my life had not only scarred me for _life_ , but it had also served to give me a new feeling for life, a new calling of some kind. It had all actually happened much too fast for me to comprehend but still… I still _clearly_ remember all of the details, from the explosion to that strange feeling in my muscles all the same as I had that very day. My father, Dr. Richmond Rodgers, he had been working on one of those experiments that he was famous for… he was a chemist and zoologist if I should say. This certain experiment was one that he deemed highly unstable at the time, something along the lines of fused DNA between dragonflies and atoms and cells alike, Francium-223 if I remember correctly. I was there the whole time, aiding him in any and all research and experimenting –then he had let out a gulp before turning to me, pleading me to get as far away as I possibly could. It's pretty funny I should say, honestly –if I hadn't have been preoccupied observing something else and had actually listened to what he had said the first time around, I would have been able to successfully escape the laboratory before it had all exploded. M-Maybe then my father would not have died in that explosion… maybe he would have been given the powers that I were originally given –instead of a teenage boy nearly close to graduating from high school, the protector of Boston would be a middle-aged man who doubled as a world famous scientist. Heh, just the thought of my father being the Dragonfly and being dressed in my costume is enough to make a slight smirk come across my face… man, I really miss him sometimes.

I remember how I had been knocked completely unconscious by the sheer force of the explosion, swept off of my feet and struck in the back of the head by a table. M-My father, he had not come out of this explosion nearly as lucky as I had, sadly. To this day, doctors have been saying that there was no way that I should have survived that explosion that I should have been killed just with my father. Yet here I am today, still kicking and breathing –cleaning the streets of midtown Boston and its surrounding areas from the weakest of villains to super powered villains alike as none other than the Dragonfly. The pain and stress that I had went through in the days following my father's death were unreal… literally. I was dealing with all five of the stages of grief at once, _Denial_ to accept that he was gone. _Anger_ at myself for not listening or trying to get him out, I tried to _bargain_ , saying that it should have been me instead of him. _Depression_ … I had spent an entire day in my room sobbing and isolated from the public looking over all of the pictures and memories of my father. Then, I finally had to _accept_ it all, he was gone from the realm of the living. Yet still, I knew that he was and still is looking down on me with that toothy grin on his, proud of how I had handled my new abilities and protected my mother. I just had to be dealing with the fact that my superpowers were also beginning to manifest themselves, thanks to the fact that after analyzing the mixture my father was cooking up… I discovered that a good percent of it wound up being absorbed through my skin and absorbed into my cells and DNA, making me a mutant.

My superhuman strength was the first of my powers to reveal themselves, doing so when I, in an act of fury, punched a whole cleanly through a wall of bricks, denting it and smashing a couple of the bricks apart. Clearly, I was completely caught off-guard and I was astonished… I mean, I had just punched through solid brick without even using _all_ of my strength, yet my hand was in no pain at all –no throbbing or bleeding. I wasn't shocked –no, I was flabbergasted to say the least. Then, when I tried to keep things as normal as I possibly could, the entire group of bullies that almost tried to torment the brilliant people such as me, they just had to begin to stress my out the _exact_ day after my father had died and I was dealing with my own special gifts. Needless to say that due to my enhanced strength, I found myself pulling back punches in an attempt of not severely harming them. Add that to the superhuman agility, reflexes, speed, stamina, durability, and equilibrium that had decided to come forth to aid my strength –along with the stress and anger that I was already feeling –I was easily able to best all four of them in less than a minute if I remember correctly, without each being struck once. Everybody in the cafeteria had remained silent, their eyes widened at the display that they had just witnessed, which was my cue to leave the area immediately. The remainder of that day, people were pointing at me, saying things that I didn't even bother to listen to but at the end of the day just as the bell began to ring, I found myself suffering a severe migraine, much more severe than your average headache. When I rushed to the bathroom to splash some water upon myself, I was given a show of my own as I witnessed antennae, yes antennae, growing from the side of my heads, just like those of a bug's! This was more than enough to freak somebody like me out and I found myself rushing back to my house, nearly getting ran over my a school bus. If it had been for a sudden tingling sensation in the back of my head, I would have been squashed and unable to get out of the way of the incoming traffic in time. You ever seen _Spider-Man_ in action before… about fifteen years ago? Yeah think of that sensation somewhat like his famous Spider Sense, yet different. For the rest of the day, I thought as if I wouldn't be having any more powers but as you can probably guess… I was WRONG! Later on during the night, after I decided to test out all of my powers in my backyard, I awoke to a feeling much more painful than any migraine or bullet wound in my back. Turns out it was just due to the fact that my _wings_ were growing in as I slept. Yep, you heard me right… wings –just like those that a dragonfly has (think a little like Stinkfly from Ben 10). Now answer this… what do you get when you combine a hormone-filled teenager who has an IQ of about 128 with mutant superpowers similar to those of a dragonfly. _Ding! Ding! Ding!_ Yep, you guessed it –the Dragonfly, protector of Boston… who's greatest challenge isn't facing off against supervillains (though that's a close second), but is keeping his superhero and normal lives separate and his identity a secret from everyone from his best friend to his crush to even his own _mother_. _Go figure_.

Within another five minutes or so, I finally manage to arrive back at the place I call home. Glancing down at the watch on my wrist, the time reads, ' _10:58 PM'_. It had already been far too long of a day already. I had expected the Summer Break leading up to my final year of school, my senior year, to be carefree, relaxing, and a _break_ from everything, yet here I was now, sneaking back home in the darkness of night. Not only had I been forced to halt a bank robbery by two ignorant thugs earlier, but my mother had insisted that I begin looking over colleges and the like, all while I had my own job at the local GameStop. All of that was much more than I would like to do in a single day and now… now all that I longed for was a sweet, ( _at least_ ) ten hour-long reunion with my mattress and pillow. Mom wouldn't be home for at least another hour and a half, so that meant that I could make a spicy cup of Ramen Noodles and get at least some sleep before she came in blabbing and questioning how the interviews and everything went. But as I entered the house, my hope for a great slumber had really taken a turn for the worst but a grin never bothered to leave my face. Standing in front of me was the great man that was once the outstanding leader of the X-Men… that I had heard oh so much about –my role model –the great Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops.

 **Scott Summers**

There he was. Richard Rodgers, the boy who would be the first step towards creating this new generation of my X-Men –no, Charles's X-Men –the X-Strikers. He looked almost exactly how Cerebro had pictured him, down to the core. To be honest, the kid sorta reminded me of a younger me, when I had first joined the X-Men around his age. He had that same dark brown colored hair just like I had, in the same style as well (though his was a tad bit more curtained that mines ever was). Tall and lean just as I had been, it kinda made me think of what Logan would call him… _Slim? Slim Jr?_ Although he was wearing those goggles of his made from the same material as my sunglasses and visor, ruby quartz, I could still see his chocolate brown colored eyes widening as he walked into his home to the sight of a grown man he had seen probably only once in his entire life. I don't even know if he remember me from that one time I had been there when he'd helped out the old Cap' himself, the Star Spangled Avenger, on some mission about a year ago. But still, he had been a couple of inches shorter, not nearly as bulky as before. Back then he was a rookie to this game that we call the superhero business… I could tell. But now, he was an established hero… why else would I be here offering him the chance of a lifetime.

"C-Cyclops? Is that you?" I hear the boy –err, young man, say to me, clearly bewildered over the fact that a retired superhero had involuntarily entered his home without smashing through the door or something. Thankfully, I had bothered to ask Kurt to teleport me right into the home instead of doing as I know for a fact what Logan would have done, smashed open the door and make a mess of the living room. Don't want to get on the bad side of someone who I've arrived to recruit wouldn't I?

"So, after all these years there are some people that still remember me?" I found myself commenting, a sly smirk upon my face as I approach the young hero before me. Honestly, I hadn't even expected the boy to know who I was... I mean, I had been out of the game for a good decade or so until just recently. I myself don't even know how Logan and the others had managed to persuade me into getting back into it. After Je- After Jean's death and the whole Purifiers Era, I had promised myself that I would hang it all up for good… enjoy what little life I had remaining. But still, I guess that being a superhero _is_ what I enjoy about this period called life. When I had last seen _the Dragonfly_ , I hadn't even been in costume (not that I am now), and all I had done with tip my hat in a sort of a greeting to him. "Richard is it?" I questioned, hoping to break the ice as I shook the young man's shaking hand.

"Yeah, Mr. Cyclops sir…" Richard stutters, barely managing to come out with the perfect words to say. Come to think about it, this shyness towards –well, _legends_ –sorta reminded me of Kurt all those years ago, when I had first met him and he would teleport away from any new face that he saw. Taking off the ruby quartz goggles that he had been wearing, Rick places them on the coffee table to my side before turning back to me, playing with his fingers. "Not to be rude or anything… but why is it that you're in my home? My mother should be home any time now and if you don't mind, I don't want her to know of this second life of mines."

"Richard, I've come here for a proposal to you that could very well determine the fate of the planet," I answer, my arms firmly crossed across my chest. I could already see it now… this young man before me had all of the potential to go down as one of the greatest mutants of all time. Don't ask me why but I just knew it. Out of all seven of the kids that Emma had shown me, after I had read their backstories and everything, I knew for a fact that he would make the perfect leader for the X-Strikers… he just, reminded me of a teenage me in more ways than one. "My fellow X-Men and I have found out some troubling news and after a long discussion, have decided that it would be best to create a new group of X-Men… younger mutants to protect the world and its inhabitants from things out to hurt them all."

"A-And you're interested in me being a part of this team?" Ricky asks, obviously very surprised over the manner and offer he had just been given. I could literally see the excitement buried deep within him as he tried his best to contain, seemingly succeeding if it hadn't have been for the smile forming on his lips. "I-I don't know what to say Mr. Summers! I mean what would my mother say if I just suddenly disappeared! I refuse to put her in danger by allowing her into my superhero life… unless there's some kind of way around that… I'll have to decline the offer." He added, with a frown formed upon his face as he spoke.

Thankfully, I knew that something like this was bound to unfold at one point or another… just as Parker, he'd been through the same exact problem in his younger days as the Web-Head that was now a member of the X-Men, the Avengers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. I had friends in high places that had even more friends in higher places that could help out with this problem like it was nothing. All that I had to do was pull a few strings and then I could walk away with the leader of my new team of X-Men. "Richard, I have already found a way that we can both have our wishes. A good friend of mines can easily brainwash your mother into believing that you have been sent to a boarding school in Bayville, New York and I can forge a note to say that you have been accepted. Then, we won't have to worry about her being caught up in any of this." I begin, a smirk implanted on my face as I see Richard's face brighten up. "And no, I don't want you to be a part of this new team… I want you to be the _leader_ of it Rick. Judging by that grin on your face I take it that you're with me. I'll be back in two days, prepare yourself to leave by then." I finished up, saluting the young hero as I exit the home through the door. Still, I'm willing to bet that as soon as I left, that Richard screamed as loud as he could in excitement. One mutant down, six more to go.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this short little chapter! Stay tuned and other chapters will be much longer than this one!**

 **Mutants Introduced This Chapter**

 **Dragonfly/ Richard Rodgers- Created by KakarotSSj3 (me!)**


	4. Part II: Genesis (Part II) SNEAK PEEK

**Chapter II: Genesis (Part II)/ SNEAK PEEK**

 **Author's Note: Hey there readers! This chapter isn't fully complete but I thin that for all the waiting and stuff I've put you all through, you deserve a sneak peek of what's to come. This sneak peek will continue with another of the X-Strikers introductions, this one a girl named Katerina Louisa Frost who you'll learn about later in the chapter. Special thanks to _prime -lover13_ for allowing me to use their character for this story and without further interruptions, here's the sneak peek of Genesis (Part II)**

* * *

The sky was enveloped in the darkest color of the day –that of a calmingly peaceful and undisturbed midnight black color, the chilling blades of wind slowly flowing their course through the sky, leaving the setting with the perfect temperature for the time, not too hot nor too cold for an early summer night. Clocking in at over ninety-five miles per hour, the crashing, thunderous sound of the engine of an old motorcycle –to be more precise, a 1963 Harley Davidson Duo Glide FLH Model –flooded the air as it soared the night away on the dark, silent roads of the Downtown Bayville Area. The chopper's dared rider seemed to be all too familiar with the bike of his choice, more than likely a seasoned veteran of rolling down the streets of Bayville, New York on the beauty that was his _Harley Panhead_.

James Howlett, better known to those he deemed fortunate enough to engage conversation with as simply Logan… Wolverine a selected few would say, rode the night away on his perfectly waxed and cleaned motorcycle, the helmet that he was wearing gleaming brilliantly thanks to the full moon's luxurious rays of moonlight. The semi-retired mutant turned crime fighting X-Man's cold eyes never seemed to leave the road, Logan knowing the entire trail like the back of his hand. However, he was not just cruising down the streets of Bayville just for the heck of it… nope, he was finally returning back to the _game_ that was the superhero business. To be exact, Scott had assigned the seasoned warrior to search the streets of the Bayville Area for one of the six teenage mutants that the former leader of the X-Men had directed him to… a young woman that went by the name of Katerina Frost.

 _'_ _Damn it… I remember that back on a Saturday night like tonight, the only thing that we were busy doing was battling it out with either the Brotherhood, Mystique, or ole Buckethead himself. Times really have changed in such a short period,'_ The Adamantium-boned mutant silently growled in his inner consciousness, observing the grassy fields of nothing as he swept past the countryside area of the Downtown Bayville Area. A _whole_ lot had changed over the time after which he and his fellow X-Men had decided to hang up their capes and masks… some good, others quite bad in Wolverine's opinion.

Speaking of Logan, just by laying your eyes on the scarred and battle-hardened mutant, one could easily begin to tell that the last couple of years or so –under no circumstance –had gone by too well for him. On his face was an entire arsenal of battle scars and weathered scratches from a numerous amount of his past missions and assignments, which seemed to have not fully healed as well as they could have just yet. Age had also begun to take its slowly-advancing toll on the aged and clawed vigilante, Logan's well known Regenerative Healing Factor having begun to slightly decline more and more each year as wounds would take a bit longer to heal up then originally, and due to the fact that a couple noticeable strands of grayish colored hairs had managed to begin to find their way to appear throughout Logan's spiked head of black hair.

"Logan… come in," Logan's sensitive ears managed to pick up as the voice of Scott Summers transmitted and echoed through the small earpiece that the World War II veteran wore to communicate with the non-telepaths of his comrades. "We have a visual on the location of your assigned mutant, Ms. Katerina Louisa Froteri. Cerebro is telling us that she's just entered a Starbucks near you current position, the one on Bayville Avenue."

"Gotcha Slim, just give me ten good minutes and I should be there." Logan gruntingly answered his crime fighting partner, using the time to rev up the engine of his roaring chopper, the handle-barred motorcycle picking up its speed as it rocketed towards the Starbucks nearest Logan with just a terrifying growl of the bike's ignition.

* * *

After a short intermission, about five –ten minutes tops, Logan's motorcycle finally skidded to a complete stop right outside of the Starbucks located on the corner of Bayville Avenue and Main Street, the metallic mutant having finally arrived at his destined location. Just through these doors, only meters away, sat the mutant teenager whom he had found himself searching for… the fortunate young woman who did not even know the chance that was closing in on her –the chance to become a member of one of the greatest superhero teams that the world has ever seen, a newly-created resurrection of the X-Men.

Parking his Harley Panhead a couple of feet away from the coffee joint, Logan hopped off of the aged motorcycle, slowly walking through the doors of the Starbucks where the young lady, Katerina, would be unknowingly awaiting his presence as she drank a coffee or whatever it was that girls her age craved. Walking up to the main cashier of the café's counter, Logan swiftly glanced up at the menu pertaining each and every thing that the coffee join had to offer him, ordering in his charred, bellowing voice, "Coors Light… and please, try to make it quick," Logan exclaimed with a stern glare and the tip of his leathery, black colored hat, his _cheerful_ suggestion being more of a threatening threat to anybody with a brain to be completely honest.

Once his order had been processed and he had been given his alcoholic beverage, a sly smirk eased itself upon the eldest of all X-Men's face as he gripped the can of Coors Light brand of beer in his hairy hands, tightly securing it as he leaned himself against the wall, examining each and every face within the coffee café. Logan felt his free hand ravaging through the pocket of the slightly worn out, leathery jacket that he wore, searching for the photo that Scott had given him, showcasing a picture of the girl that he was looking for. Scanning the photo and then the entire Starbucks for a young woman whose physical appearance matched that of the girl on the portrait, Logan finally found his match within the café. Walking over to the far corner of the coffee-serving restaurant, Logan found a seat at the same table as the girl who he presumed to be Katerina… that same waist-reaching, dark brown colored hair as the girl in the photo, _with_ the same exact streak of white on several bangs of the hairstyle. The same skin tone… a tanned one to be more precise, those sea blue colored eyes that shined more brilliantly than the ocean itself… yep –this was the mutant teenager that would _hopefully_ be a part of his new X-Strikers.

* * *

 **Katerina Louisa Frost**

This man… whoever he is, I-I know that I have seen him somewhere besides this Starbucks. Was it on the television? Where have I seen that intimidating scowl before…? I bet that it'll come back to my mind in just a few short hours after it's much too late. Still, I could literally feel as all of the warmness, coziness and fun seemed to be drained from the entire café when he walked into the building just a few short minutes ago, the surprise that everyone felt when he left the door to slam shut when he walked in, apparently having the need to alert every single person in the café of his presence.

As he securely tightened the grip that he held on his Miller Coors Light –eww, just the plain mention of such a disgusting beverage makes me want to throw up the whip creamed topped cappuccino that I'm drinking, preferably over this dude's face –I can't even force myself to try not to notice that his eyes seem to be permanently glued and altering between that scrap of paper in his hands and… me. Yeah… every couple seconds, I could see his vision shifting to me, his eyes glaring through the front of my head like lasers and even when I glance back up at him… it's as if he doesn't care if I know that his attention is caught on me, those dark chunks of coal that were his eyes still continue to stare.

Why? Why is his steadily glancing at me, leaving the condensed metal container of beer by his side left unshaken and unattended to? No… no, has the government finally caught on to me? Have they found out about my mutated gifts already and sent him to capture me? No… they couldn't have caught on to me already, could they? I had been extremely careful with how often I used my powers… never using them in the daylight before –not since the girls and I split up that is. How could the government catch on to something that left no evidence behind? That couldn't be right, could it…? I wasn't a genius or anything but this guy, he did not really seem like the type to associate himself with the government himself. Cowboy hat… an angered smug and frown on his face, as if he knew more than he wanted to let off, as if he'd seen things that he would like to unsee for once. Maybe… just maybe he was associated with the government –yeah, he seems like your everyday refuge who agreed to a deal for his freedom in return for a solid mutant… yep, been there… dealt with before. But how great is this… just when I thought I'd found myself somewhere I would have to hit the road again? And come on, just when I'd found the perfect coffee place in the entire state… just my luck.

I feel myself tighten up as he suddenly approached the table where I was sitting, the frown never even daring to leave his face as he glanced me up and down before he took a seat directly in front of me… in the SAME exact booth as me. As if on cue, I immediately throw the hood of my hoodie over my head of hair, covering my face from the man's view as he just sits there, slamming his beer can proudly down on the wooden table that served as the only barrier between the both of us, the moisture from the can oozing onto the table. Without even looking, I can practically _feel_ his blazing, stoic facial expression glaring me down, eyes piercing straight into the back of my skull as if trying to burn a hole straight through me. Why did he have to sit over here with me? Of ALL of the empty booths and seats in this entire Starbucks he chose to occupy a pre-occupied booth, either he was after me or he's just a plain ole pedophile… either way, I'm literally dying and fully prepared to freeze him to his seat and hightail it out of here.

While I find myself lost in the middle of my thoughts, I was literally ripped and distracted from my inner thoughts as the sound of something being slashed apart in a single slice flooded the entire café, at the very least a dozen pair of eyes turning to face in my direction, each and every eye flooded in a pool of fear as they cast their sights on the man seated in front of me. Snapping from my mental thoughts, I look down to see said man already guzzling down his… his neatly DECAPITATED can of cold, disgusting beer down his throat, a pair of three blades remaining surfaced from his his free hand as they slowly retracted back into his skin, drawing the smallest ounce of blood that seemed to quickly disappear nearly as soon as it came. My eyes instantly widen, soaking in everything that I have just witnessed. Well… this changes things. Apparently, this guy's a mutant as well… though if he knows whether or not I am one is the true question that comes to mind.

"Katerina is it?" I hear the man's voice escape from his mouth between a suppressed burp, paying the terrified bystanders no mind at all… as if he had already dealt with something just like this before. His voice, it's calm yet deep and fear-bestowing, enough to make the fiercest of men back down with how calculating and carefree it sounds. Lowering my hood, I find myself unable to communicate with him, the voice never able to escape my mouth however hard I found myself trying to speak. "Right?" The man adds on, basically self-assuring himself with a tone as if he was almost aggravated over the fact that I'm not speaking. Just the threatening tone of the voice makes a hair or two on the back of my neck rise up in fear… why I know not. Who exactly was this strange mutant and how was it that he knew my name?

"Y-Yeah," I feebly reply to the man, literally at a loss of words to speak. This man… whoever he turned out to be, had already given me more than enough surprises for one night. Firstly he just conveniently shows up at this Starbucks as if he had been tracking down where I show myself, because I have literally _never_ seen him here before in the couple of months I'd found myself coming to this place at least once a day, and I considered myself nothing if not familiar with a whole lot of things that go down over here. Then, he reveals that not only is he a mutant just like I am, but also –he knows just who I am. Could this get even weirder? "W-Who are you? How did you just do that thing… that thing with your hands earlier?" He had gotten the answers he craved… now it was about time that I got a couple of answers of my own.

"Ain't it obvious bub? The name's Logan… and I know the things that you can do Kate. I'm a mutant just like you," The man, presumably whoever this _Logan_ guy was, says to me, his eyes not even staring at me as he leans back in his chair, crushing the empty can of beer to a flat mound of metal in his hands before throwing it to the ground as if it was nothing. "I know what you can do around water… I can help you with those gifts of yours if you need it and trust me, you do," He adds on, opening his eyes to stare directly into mines. Can I trust this man? What if he actually was telling the truth… but what if he wasn't? But still… if he was someone sent to kill or capture me judging by just how unfazed he was by the gasps of citizens during the display of his power earlier, wouldn't he have already _clawed out_ and forced me to either die or come with him. This may have been judging someone… but he did not really seem like the ' _let's talk about our feelings'_ type of guy, more like I ' _come on or die'_ one.

At precisely this moment in life, viewing my offers and all, all that I say is that my eyes suddenly begin to glow the same whitish-blue color I deem myself oh so familiar with… the same color that they become each and every time that I find myself using my… gifts, one would say. In only a split second or maybe two, not only did I jump across the entire table like a tiger pouncing for its prey, but I somehow manage to grasp ahold of the man's nearest arm, using my cryokinesis to freeze whoever this guy was to the wooden table which he sat by. Without another sort of greeting or anything, I shoot up my my seat, immediately racing through the door and out of the coffee place, unconsciously screaming out in a little bit of fear, "Y-You don't know anything about me! Just leave me alone,"

* * *

Logan did not even have a complete second to react before his arm was mercilessly frozen solid to the wooden table on which he had just been resting. Before he could even jump out of the way, the perpetrator of said action had already left her seat, raced through the glass doors, and fled across the parking lot of the Starbucks. Nothing too hard… it had been a while since he'd had a good chase –in the end, he always got what he wanted to say the very least.

Immediately breaking free from his frozen arm restraint with little to no effort at all, Logan practically flew across the room in haste, storming out of the Starbucks only seconds following Katerina's own escape. It wasn't actually all that hard keeping track of the girl to be completely honest… not when you had keen animal senses to sniff out her every move and knew a thing or two about hunting and tracking down certain people –along with somewhat enhanced speed.

After another few seconds of being chased through the streets of Downtown Bayville, Kate felt herself growing slower and slower by the second… fatigue beginning to get the best of her. Turning around, she saw that he pursuer was just meters trailing her and seemed to be closing the distance between the both of them more and more by the second. Hoping to at the very least, stall, the incoming mutant, Kate unleashed her cryokinesis powers upon Logan, blasting the man with a frosty projectile of freezing cold ice. Thanks mostly to the aged mutant's enhanced reflexes and agility, he was able to outmaneuver the incoming blasts of ice without so much as a single hair on his forearm being chilled in the slightest way.

"Kate, come on… just believe me!" The thunderous voice of Logan screamed out as he carried on with his chance, easily telling that Kate was beginning to slow down and it was only a matter of time before he would catch up to her. To think that recruiting a mutant would be so much trouble… she had more spunk in her than Rogue did back in the day. "I'm a fucking X-Man for crying out loud! Don't you care for your protection or anything? If you haven't noticed, something out here wants our kind DEAD and we'll make you capable of handling yourself out here." The man finished, his teeth grinding against one another and his fists clenching together in aggravation. This should've just been a simple conversation and motorcycle ride back to the X-Mansion… nothing more, nothing less. Now here he was in the middle of Downtown Bayville, avoiding being frozen by a girl that was no older no eighteen.

Logan watched as the girl he had been pursuing, Katerina, halted in place, giving up on running away once she had heard what it was that Logan had to say to her. He had to be telling the truth, that's probably where she had seen his face and heard his name from… an article or something on the X-Men that had disbanded when she was only a toddler, three years old tops. Yeah, he seemed _somewhat_ trustworthy and if things did go sour, she'd just how to freeze her way out of it… but hopefully, that wouldn't have to happen. Kate slowly turned to face Logan with her sea blue colored eyes staring right into his stone black ones, the blue aura coating her hands dying down as she rescinded a blast of ice that seemed to be forming into as she began to speak.

"An X-Man you say?" Katerina sighed, walking towards a frowning Logan as her eyes and hair color returned back to their natural color, her powers dying down as she registered Logan harmless for the time being. She had heard stories of the X-Men, some coming from mutant-haters were bad but a majority of them coming from those they had saved in their time turning out to be speaking well on behalf of the team of mutant crime fighters. She could at least hear what this man had to say before she was on with her way… it wasn't as if she had anything else to do tonight wasn't it? "So... what is it that you wanted to talk about? Something about training or something?" The girl added, using a single one of her hands to adjust her brown mane of hair exactly how she deemed satisfactory.

"You probably don't remember much about the X-Men but in the years following our disbandment… a couple of my… _teammates_ and I have decided that something's coming to this world and the fate of mutantkind could be tested by somebody that hates our kind, bub. So, because we know that there's some people out there who can't protect themselves, we're enlisting a couple of young mutants like yourself to learn how to protect themselves and others. It just so happens that they've decided that you have the potential within you to become a good hero and all… and if you want us to… we can train you to harness your potential and master those gift of those. You don't know this but you can do great things with a power like that if you're trained nicely." Logan explained, taking a step towards the girl that stood a solid three, four inches taller than him. She was actually pretty brave… clever actually, especially to have attacked him and raced off before they could talk. He could tell, she had potential… and she was pretty cut out for a job like this, just like Jean or Kitty, she was going to be a great hero at the end of the day. "But if you aren't convinced just yet… there's always a couple other ways I can convince ya," Logan added, bring his forearm just inches in front of his face to reveal his newly retracted trio of Adamantium claws begging to give him a reason with a hidden snicker on Logan's part.

After a brief conversation between the two that lasted no more than five minutes at the greatest, Kate finally managed to agree to Logan's terms… somewhat out of fear towards the aged mutant but mostly out of curiosity and excitement to learn and make a change to the world with her gifts. She had nowhere else to go honestly, so a place to stay was an added bonus on her part. Just the number of other mutants with powers and being outcasts just as she was made a grin come across Kate's face for the first time in quite a while. Just as the both of them were about to head back to Logan's motorcycle parked in the Starbucks parking lot on their way back to Kate's new home, the X-Mansion, the alarming sounds of police car sirens stopped the two in their tracks, a small militia of at the very least ten police cars pulling into the alleyway where the two mutants stood, obviously alerted of the presence of mutants by the bystanders at Starbucks.

Exiting the protection of their cars, at least a dozen and a half policemen flooded out of their automobiles, leaving Logan to make a sly, completely inappropriate remark under his breath speaking something about _pigs,_ in irritation towards the unwanted visitors. Each and every one of the policemen wore bulky sets of armor and held either a mighty pump shotgun or a semi-automatic pistol to stop anything from working their way without a dozen bullet wounds etched into their skin. As soon as their eyes caught sight of the two mutants before them, one –presumably the chief of the flock of pigs –screamed through a megaphone, "M-M-Mutants! Stay completely still and if you even think of moving a single muscle, each and every one of us will engage fire on the both of you freaks. Officer Harrison… get the Trask-designed handcuffs for these bastards. 223, I have a six seven three X-Ray… I repeat, six seven three X-ray –mutant disturbance. We have the perpetrators cornered from all sides in an alleyway near the Starbucks on Bayville Avenue and Main Street, but back-up may be needed on my mark. One mutant is a teenage girl… sixteen, seventeen years old at the most, with a nice mane of dark brown hair and blue eyes. The other one is about five feet, three… four inches. Could be… maybe a good forty years or so, black spiked hair."

Logan slowly turned his face to stare at the petrified girl that was Katerina, turning to lightly whisper to the mutant girl as he raised his arms to the air in a bit of a slowed, faked motion. He had been through situations much harsher than this in his entire life… for God's sake –he had freaking traveled to the deep ends of the galaxy to fight a PLANET-eating, almighty and universally feared GOD… who also happened to be immortal and able to destroy planet's with the flick of a single wrist. What did a dozen or so cops have on something like that? "Kate… stand back." Logan began, silently speaking to his soon-to-be X-Strikers recruit, the smirk never even bothering to leave his face as his stiffness and motionless habits died down, the man slowly advancing towards the policemen and their cruisers. "I'm going to make us a path through the lot of 'em, aight bub? Just stick close to me and let me take all of the bullets. Wouldn't want you getting hit now, would we? Then Scott would be on my ass and I'd have to _cut_ him down a couple notches." The semi-retired vigilante that was Wolverine added to his statement, both sets of his Adamantium coated claws of bone hacking through his knuckles and presenting their brilliance and lustered beauty to the entirety of the nearby Bayville Police Department officers assigned to bring their wielder to justice.

"S-Stop now! I-I mean it… stop right right you are! This is your first and final warning before we engage fire on the both of you, regardless of what happens to you! We will… and I repeat, WILL _not_ be responsible for any injuries that you may sustain." The mighty chief of ' _Bayville's Finest'_ terrifying forced himself to choke out at the bladed X-Gene carrier that was mercilessly approaching him and all of the men that he called a second family of his, hesitantly raising the pump-action metallic shotgun that he gained as a policeman up to where it faced the incoming man's exposed chest with full intent on blowing a hole straight through his chest in just a single blow.

Logan, being the hardheaded, battle-hardened mutant that many knew –and feared –him as, did not even begin to slow down or back down from the encounter that he called 'another one of his loved _challenges'_. He had been fried to a crisp... _painfully_ stripped completely of each and every ounce of Adamantium from the surface of his bones… completely decapitated by the strongest of opponents and even blasted to bits –single cells to say the least. But here he was now, thanks almost entirely to his trustworthy regenerative healing factor. Speeding towards the waves of policemen that stood in between himself and his motorcycle, Logan found himself hacking and slashing his way through the numerous waves of men, trying _his best_ not to cause too many casualties on their part, practically just forcing his way through the pack of boys in blue. As he charged through the police force of Downtown Bayville, Wolverine lightly flinched and chuckled as entire clips –barrages –of slug shots and bullets flew towards and through his body tearing through the man's flesh and leaving behind entire chucks of bullet-tattered muscle in skin spiraling off of his body.

"L-Logan!" Kate cried out in misery as entire arsenals and clips of point-blank fired bullets rocketed through the man she called _somewhat of a friend_ 's skull and chest, blasting his to shreds on impact –metal tearing straight through flesh as if it was nothing, blasting apart entire organs. However, her frown transformed into more of an incredibly confused and bewildered expression nearly as soon as it came, the Hydrokinetic being caught surprisingly off-guard as any and all wounds that the aged X-Man had and was taking seemed to heal to their very best almost instantaneously, as soon as the bullet lodged into into his body, entire bullet-created holes in his flesh closing up back to its original state before another bullet would find its way soaring through the area not even a second later. Logan did not even seem to feel too much pain as he charged through the waves of armored men, the smirk that he displayed never bothering to leave his face, even when an entire hole was blasted through his jaw by a stray bullet.

"Kate… how about you use those powers of yours and freeze these guys so that we can escape? You know, they're _really_ beginning to piss me off more than usual." Logan suggested to the observing high school teenager as he flesh continued to be blown off of his skeleton, calmly growling the suggestion through the blazing echoes of the recurring gunshots and stinging sensations in his his body.

"Alright… I'll try. I've never did nothing like this before," Kate exclaimed, slowly inhaling as she rose her hands to the air at Logan's suggestion. As she brought herself to exhale the gallon of air that she had swallowed, Kate felt her body temperature lower as the moisture in the air suddenly dropped a solid fifty degrees in a mere instance, the alleyway becoming coated in a thick blanket of freezing cold ice, popsicle structures of incoming bullets and terrified policemen frozen solid in place as the last of Logan's wounds healed up before he turned to face a heavily breathing Kate.

"Good job, bub. Now… let's get back to the Mansion, hold on tight because I'm not going to slow down if you fall off," Logan thanked the girl as the both of them walked back to where it was that he had parked his Harley Panhead, beginning their journey back to the X-Mansion. This girl… she truly was something else if she was capable of doing something like that without much training. She truly would become a great hero and X-Man in her future… probably even greater than another cryokinetic hero, the heroically fallen Iceman, Bobby Drake.

* * *

 **Well, that's it for this chapter's sneak peak... as I've said earlier in the chapter, it isn't completely finished but I thought that you guys would enjoy a sneak peek of what's to come. As for the introduction chapters like this one and the previous chapter (The Genesis Episodes I like to call them), there will be three in total, so after this chapter's fully complete there's only one more before the true action begins. I want to give a full introduction for each original X-Striker and I feel that this would be the best way to do so, as we speak this chapter is being FULLY completed so keep an eye out for that as well! Until then!**


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